Research partners have continued with the important steps forward for the sheep meat industry with ground-breaking science. Breeding animals to produce higher quality meat has been the focus of the South Island Genomic Calibration (SIGC) project. The SIGC flock, located at the Duncraigen Farm near Manapouri in Southland, consists of more than 1000 ewes that have been mated to ~ 300 terminal breed rams over the last 7 years, whose DNA profile has been genotyped, from various breeders around the country. The SIGC is a partnership of researchers and industry groups - Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Genetics, PĀMU, AgResearch, along with a number of breeders including - Focus Genetics, Kelso, The Premier Suftex group, Southern Suffolk group, and many other terminal sire breeders. The SIGC set out to continue the work carried out by the FarmIQ Primary Growth Partnership genetics program (https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/27243-farmiq-year-7-annual-insights) by implementing the results in industry through maintaining and improving the genomic predictions for meat quality and carcass composition traits in terminal sire breeds. Advanced genomic techniques, together with in-depth meat quality and yield trait collection, were utilised to develop a genomic tool that now allows terminal sire breeders to predict which terminal sire rams are likely to produce offspring with better quality meat (increased tenderness and juiciness). This was achieved through the development of the high-density genotyping chip (600K SNP chip; FarmIQ and the International Sheep Genomics Consortium) which enabled FarmIQ to identify the genetics behind meat yield and quality for the first time. Industry implementation of genomic predictions for growth, yield and meat quality in terminal sheep sires requires continued testing in the training flock (SIGC) to maintain accuracy and validation of the meat quality traits. The SIGC ewes lamb in September/October and the lambs are grown for processing at weaning in January, with weaning percentages at 150%. Lambing dates and weights are recorded to determine exact growth rates, each lamb is tissue sampled at docking and genotyped. When the lambs are processed, the team at AgResearch work with the processor to capture a series of measurements to determine the tenderness and IMF (intramuscular fat) of each lamb, along with pH, meat and fat colour and visual marbling. Previously, the only way to test for eating quality was to eat the animal, but the ground-breaking work being done in the SIGC flock has resulted in the ability to predict a lamb’s eating quality via a DNA test, using the AgResearch Sheep Genomic 60Kplus SNP chip. This has been achieved without affecting genetic progress for other terminal traits, as evidenced in the genetic trend graph below, the NZ Terminal Worth with Meat Quality indexes increasing as a result of the industry implementation of meat quality genomic breeding values over the past 7 years. The collection of detailed meat quality measures in the SIGC progeny underpins the meat quality index and enables predictions to the terminal sire industry through their flocks genetic linkage to the SIGC flock. This will enable commercial farmers to breed lambs with better quality meat through buying rams selected for better eating quality. Ultimately the end result is the breeding of a consistently better and more enjoyable eating experience for the consumer. This AgResearch Sheep Genomic 60Kplus SNP chip has been developed by AgResearch scientists who strive to deliver leading-edge technologies to NZ breeders, ensuring the NZ industry can meet the expectations of our international markets. For more information regarding the SIGC contact wendy.bain@agresearch.co.nz For genotyping that can provide a complete package (DNA parentage, single gene tests, genomic breeding values) on all animals prior to weaning, contact genomnz@agresearch.co.nz Genomic selection for meat quality
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